Chapter 9
Denise hated roller coasters. There was nothing fun about being rattled, jolted, and jerked around, then carried to the top of the world before plummeting down to its depths, only to start all over again. She’d hated them as a little girl, and the contempt had stuck with her to this day.
Of course, after six months in the treatment center and several years of therapy afterwards, she saw beyond the physical aspects of her dislike.
Now she recognized how the ride mimicked the emotional instability of her childhood home.
The dubious highs would come when her father would tear himself away from the business long enough to swoop in and waft her away to one of his parks for a day, hoping she’d suddenly transform from the bookish, solemn child she’d always been into a normal, all-American girl who loved coasters and midway games and posing prettily for company publicity photos.
The lows would come back at home with her chronically ill and depressed mother, who relied on her almost exclusively for company and often for caregiving too.
If moving on from all those experiences had taught her anything, it was to steer clear of emotional roller coasters at all costs.
And yet, from the moment her dad had introduced the idea of her running this conference, she’d felt like she’d been shoved into a coaster car with the safety bar lowered before she’d even had a chance to catch her breath.
Today’s morning meeting with Maddox had been the sharpest, most unpredictable part of the ride so far.
While lying awake in bed the night before, she’d turned her initial interaction with Maddox over in her head again and again and had mostly convinced herself that they didn’t recognize her and weren’t in much danger of it soon.
The first time they’d “met” hadn’t stuck out in Maddox’s memory, apparently, and Denise did look different now after all.
She’d reconciled herself to the likelihood that what she’d interpreted as Maddox not only recognizing her but sensing and exploiting her discomfort had only been simple playfulness on their part, mis-characterized by her own paranoia.
That resolution had strengthened when she’d found Maddox this morning.
She hadn’t actually gone looking for them.
After the restless night, she’d gotten out of bed and dressed early, intending to explore the resort property before the meeting.
She’d meant to peek inside the indoor pool area and then move on.
But then she’d seen Maddox.
Once she’d realized they were using the pool, she absolutely should have left and given them their privacy. But she’d been surprised, then captivated by the sight in front of her.
Maddox had been entirely alone, swimming, splashing around, and yelling with childlike glee as if they were the only person in the world. Denise couldn’t help but stare. When was the last time she’d experienced that level of joy?
Had she ever?
Probably not. Not as a child or adult. But here was Maddox, a grown adult who was savoring and celebrating a simple moment of joy. While it had felt wrong to intrude on it, she’d also wanted to drink it in.
And the longer she’d watched, the harder it had become to imagine this person being duplicitous and unkind enough to remember how they’d met and then pretend not to just to mess with her head. That thought had brought her more relief than she’d felt since first seeing Maddox the day before.
Denise had been on the verge of turning around and leaving when Maddox had spotted her. They’d smiled up at her with that broad, all-seeing grin of theirs that kept catching her off guard.
And she hated being caught off guard.
Walls she hadn’t even realized were lowering shot back up into place, and she’d remembered why she was there in the first place.
Whether or not Maddox recognized her should be immaterial to the matter at hand. Denise was there on business, and working with them on this conference was a means to an end.
Of course, none of those solid, black and white facts had prevented her from being thrown for yet another loop when Maddox had emerged from the pool right in front of her, long and lean in a swimsuit that clung to their sturdy body and accentuated their strong shoulders.
When they’d held onto her arm to keep her from stumbling backwards, goosebumps had formed on her skin beneath their warm, damp touch.
And then, as they’d dried off, she couldn’t seem to force herself not to watch.
Maybe that wouldn’t have been so bad if they hadn’t caught her staring.
The rest of the meeting had been an internal tug of war between her drive to stay professional and her growing awareness of their physical presence.
Awareness. Just awareness. Because there was no way she could be attracted to Maddox right now, on top of everything else. It was too much. She was simply vigilant for signs of whether they remembered her or not and mildly distracted by their … energy.
All she’d wanted was to get off the wild coaster ride that had been her morning so far, but as Maddox reviewed the details they’d worked out already, Denise quickly realized she’d find no fault with their plans worth ending the entire deal.
So she’d done the only other thing she could think of and asked to work with a different manager.
Maddox‘s eyebrows rose then dipped again, and for several seconds, they simply stared at her through narrowed eyes.
Their silence began to make her jittery. Strangely, with all the turmoil she’d experienced while being in Maddox’s presence since seeing them yesterday, the anxiety that normally accompanied her in new situations had been absent. But it was rearing its head now.
When Maddox finally spoke, their voice was low and deliberate, as if they were working to contain their emotions.
“Ms. Farrington, Middle Waters Resort is not a large corporation. It’s not even a company the size of yours.
We don’t have multiple managers we can trade off at will.
I’m pretty much a jack of all trades here.
In the interest of full disclosure, you could work with someone else, but most likely the bulk of the task would still fall to me. But I will see what I can do.”
They pushed their chair back abruptly and stacked the breakfast dishes and place them back on the tray, biting their lip as they worked and avoiding her eyes.
Once they’d finished, they said, “Unless there’s something else I can do right now, I will get to work on finding a replacement and let you get on with your day. If you get time, I recommend taking a walk on the trail behind the resort. This really is a beautiful place.”
They swallowed audibly and met her eyes again. She didn’t see frustration or irritation there now; it was more like hurt.
A fist tightened in Denise’s chest. She shouldn’t be hurting anyone. Least of all Maddox. This was such a colossal mess, and she didn’t have a clue how to fix it. So she kept her tone even and said, “I don’t need anything else. Thank you.”
Maddox’s jaw tightened, but they said nothing else. They simply nodded, picked up the tray, and stalked away.
Denise stared after them and then slumped down in her chair. What was she going to do?
Another of the many rides at her father’s park that she hated was the giant pendulum that strapped its riders high in the air before swinging them back and forth in a sweeping, nauseating arc.
That’s exactly how her brain had been acting over this.
She’d swung between wanting to get in her car and leave Maddox and the Middle Water Resort in her rearview mirror for good to being determined to buckle down and get through the job as best she could.
Now she was dangling helplessly in the air between the two.
On some levels, the logical thing to do would have been to call her dad and explain the situation.
Tell him she couldn’t work with this person who represented a part of her life she’d put behind her.
But time and time again, he’d proven himself incapable of understanding her interior world.
If his bullish good humor wasn’t enough to overcome whatever problems she presented him with, he’d try to make it go away with his money.
She wouldn’t put it past him to get Maddox fired to take care of the situation.
Because nothing would be more important than ensuring his plans played out the way he wanted.
Denise pushed back her chair with a strident scrape against the tiled ground and stood to pace out her frustration.
Was her dad really serious about buying this place to make room for his expansion project? He’d said it was on the short list, which meant there were other options, right? Maybe working with the Middle Waters people wasn’t as crucial as he had made it sound.
Denise didn’t have the answers, but she knew who would: her cousin Darby. The expansion plans would be the work of her department.
Still pacing, Denise pulled out her phone and scrolled to Darby’s contact.
Darby Kent’s dad and Denise’s mom were siblings. But unlike Denise’s frail but respectable mother, the late Marvin Kent had been a gambler, alcoholic, and occasional con artist. Whenever he’d get into especially messy scrapes during Darby’s childhood, she stayed with Denise’s family.
She was two years older and, growing up, she had been so many things younger Denise hadn’t been: outgoing, graceful, and confident.
Denise had admired her, but they hadn’t been close since Denise had never trusted Darby completely.
She often communicated with a sugary sweetness that never felt genuine, for one thing.
In fact, as a child, Denise had seen Darby turn in a flash: being the perfect little angel in front of the adults one minute and then becoming a manipulative bully when it was just other kids around the next.
She’d never really bullied Denise, fortunately, but that was probably because she stayed out of Darby’s way.
And now, Darby was part of the family business.
Denise had heard through the company grapevine that she was still prone to bullying and scheming, but no one complained because she was also dedicated and smart, and her conniving usually led to positive outcomes for the business.
Plus, there was the minor detail that she was the boss’s niece.
While Denise and even her father often found Darby’s methods questionable, Denise couldn’t deny her cousin had done things the sensible way, starting out in an entry-level spot, then gradually building her skills and working her way up to more responsibility.
Unlike Denise, who’d been thrown in the deep end with higher responsibility roles from the beginning.
Denise pressed the call button and only had to wait a few seconds for Darby to answer.
“Well, hey there, cuz’,” Darby answered in her syrupy Southern belle drawl.
Denise always thought she must have learned it from watching videos of every Southern Miss America contestant ever.
It certainly didn’t resemble the milder twang Denise and almost everyone else she knew who grew up in Oklahoma City had.
“Hi, Darby,” Denise greeted. “Do you have a minute?”
“Of course!”
Denise looked around to ensure no staff or guests were nearby before asking, “How serious is Dad about buying up the Middle Waters Resort? He told me it was one option; what about the others?”
“Oh, it’s absolutely his first choice! I mean, come on, Denise. You’re out there right now. The area is so beautiful. It’s perfect!” Darby gushed with an enthusiasm that made Denise grimace.
“The other locations are more like contingencies,” Darby pressed on before sobering.
Her voice took on a subtle edge. “Honestly, I’m surprised you haven’t been following this any closer than you have, Denise.
It’s the culmination of almost forty years of Uncle Burt’s work.
And you are his only daughter, after all. ”
Denise scowled at the sudden shift in tone. Why had she thought this call was a good idea again? “I think you’ve followed his work enough for both of us, Darby.”
A sharp breath hissed through the phone speaker. “I have to say—”
“Oh, look how late it’s getting,” Denise cut her off. “I’ve gotta go, Darb. Thanks for chatting.”
She ended the call before Darby could continue.
Denise didn’t have any interest in whatever it was Darby had to say.
It had never bothered her that Darby was so much more entrenched in the family company than she was, but she was in no mood to be lectured about her own lack of interest. Especially now that Darby had confirmed Dad’s plans for the resort.
Unless she wanted to be blamed for sabotaging them completely, she’d have to find a way to get through this conference…
hopefully with as little interaction with Maddox as possible.